Jamie Oliver brings his Italian chain to Asia

British television chef Jamie Oliver poses with his cookbook "Jamie's Amerika." With the opening of his Singapore restaurant next year, conquering Asia could be his next mission.

Just when you thought Singapore's celebrity chef scene had reached saturation point, along comes word that British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver MBE will be opening a restaurant in the city-state next year.

Jamie's Italian, one of several restaurant brands owned by the 37-year-old British TV star famed for waging war on unhealthy eating, will start serving diners at Singapore's VivoCity -- a lifestyle/retail complex across from Sentosa Island -- in the summer of 2013.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to be opening a restaurant in VivoCity," said Oliver, whose net worth has been estimated to be around US$235 million. "It's such a fantastic location and I'm delighted to be able to bring Jamie's Italian experience to the wonderful people of Singapore."

Singapore will be the restaurant chain's fifth international opening. In addition to 30 locations in Britain, Jamie's Italian has outlets in Dubai, Dublin, Perth and Sydney.

Though Oliver is one of several celebrity chefs making the move into Singapore in recent years, he's arguably the most famous of the lot in terms of public recognition.